Wire-stretcher.



PATENTED JULY 25, 1905.

J. E. BAEGHLBR.

WIRE STRETUHER.

APPLICATION FILED APE10.1905.

s JNVENTOR.

WITNESSES: $2

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UNTTFD STATES rarnnr enrich,

WlRE-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 25, 1905.

Application filed April 10, 1905. Serial No. 254,875.

To (LU whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN E. BAEOHLER, a subject of the King of GreatBritain, residing at Sarnia, in the county of Lambton and Province ofOntario, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in fire-Stretchers, of which the following is aspecification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in wire-stretchers; and itsobject is to provide a simple, cheap, compact, and easily handled andoperated device for the purpose which is so constructed that the wire isguided thereby and held against the side of a post in a position to besecured thereto and is provided with means whereby when the movableclamp has been extended to the limit of its movement the wire is helduntil said clamp has been moved to take a new hold on the wire.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which is soarranged that it may be used very close to the ground withoutinterfering with its operation and which is provided with certain othernew and useful features, all as hereinafter more fully described,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 isa perspective view of a device embodying the invention; Fig. 2, atransverse section of the same on the line :0 :0 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3is an edge view of the movable clamp and adjacent parts.

1 1 are parallelly-extending ratchet-bars having teeth along their outeredges and secured together near their forward ends by cross-bars 2,riveted thereto, and at their rear ends are secured together and held inparallelism by a bar 3, formed at its ends with handles a, extendinglaterally from the ratchetbars, by means of which handles the device isheld in operative position.

Riveted to the forward ends of the ratchetbars are two bars 5, which arebent to form at one end two laterally-extending hooks 6, adapted to beengaged with a post of the fence, and these bars extending forwardlysome distance converge and are secured together with a roll I betweentheir forward ends, being bent laterally to form guides 3 for the wireat one side of said roll. Pivotally attached to the forward ends of saidbars 5 by the same pivotpin 9 upon which the roll is journaled is a yoke10, provided with a flange 11 at one side, adapted to be engaged withthe wire 12, which is to be stretched, and with a cam-shaped clampingmember 13, pivoted thereto and opposing said flange to clamp the wirebetween.

The ratchet-bars form guides between which the guide-bar 14E slideslongitudinally, and to the sides of said guide-bar at its forward endare secured the plates 15, forming flanges to engage the sides of theratchet-bars and also to form a head thereon to which theoperating-handle 16, havinga T-head or transverse portion 17, ispivotally secured by a bolt 18, extending through said plates andguide-bar. Pivotally attached to the ends of the transverse portion ofthe operating-bar are the pawls 19, adapted to engage the teeth of theratchet-bars and when the handle 16 is turned on its pivot-bolt 18operate to force the guidebar 14 longitudinally toward the rear end ofthe ratchet-bars. On the plate 15 at the side of the guide-bar oppositethat at which the operating-handle is attached is an ear 20, extendingoutward from the face of the plate, and to this ear is pivotally secureda camshaped clamping member 21, adapted to clamp the end of thefence-wire 12 between it and the plate to secure the end of the wire tothe guide-bar.

To make the device strong and rigid, bracerods 22 are secured at one endto the rear ends of the ratchet-bars and at their opposite ends to theends of the laterally-extending hooks 6.

The device is placed in operative position, as shown in Fig. 1, by firstengaging and clamping the wire with the clamp 13, said wire extendingrearwardly therefrom between the guides 8 and along the ratchet-bars.The hooks 6 are then engaged with the post by grasping the handles a andpulling on the wire, thus lifting the device to engage the hooks withthe post and at the same time putting a strain upon the wire suflicientto hold the hooks engaged with the post. The guidebar is next movedforward to engage the pawls with the teeth on the forward ends of theratchet-bars, and the end of the wire is secured to said guide-bar bythe clamp 21. After securing the wire by the clamp 21 the clamp 13 isreleased and swung out of engagement with the wire, and then by movingthe operating-handle up and down the guidebar will be moved rearwardlyor away from the post, thus drawing the wire tight. If when the movableclamp carried by the guidebar has reached the rearward end of itsmovement the wire is not drawn tight enough, the clamp 13 may again beengaged with the wire to hold the same and the clamp 21 then re leasedand again moved forward to take a new hold on the wire. This operationmay be repeated as many times as necessary until the wire is drawnsufficiently tight. This construction greatly facilitates the putting ofthe device in an operative position, as much of the slack is taken outof the wire in en gaging the hooks with the post, and when so engagedthe wire being held between the guides is in a position to be readilysecured to the movable clamp. The operating-handle, extendinglongitudinally of the ratchet-bars, does not prevent the stretcher frombeing used close to the ground in stretching the lower wires of thefence. This stretcher may be used on either side of the post and eitherside up. The only change to be made when it is reversed is to detach theweight 23, which is provided to hold the pawl at the lower side of theratchet-bars in engagement therewith and attach it to the other pawl.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is 1. In awire-stretcher, the combination with a ratchet-bar, a clamp to engageand hold the wire and movable along said bar, and means for engaging thebar and moving the clamp; of bars formed with hooks at one end securedto the forward end of the ratchet-bar and formed with laterally-bentforward ends to form a guide, a roll pivotally secured between saidforward ends, a yoke pivotally attached to said forward ends, clampingmeans carried by said yoke, and handles secured to the rear end of theratchet-bar.

2. In a wire-stretcher, the combination of parallel ratchet-bars securedtogether at a distance apart and provided with teeth along their outeredges, a guide-bar movable longitudinally between said ratchet-bars, aguidehead on the forward end of said guide-bar, means on said head forclamping a wire thereto, an operating-handle pivotally attached to theopposite side of said head and provided with a transverse portionforming a T, pawls pivotally attached to the ends of the transverseportion to engage the teeth on the ratchet-bars, and a detachable weighton the pawl at the lower side of the ratchetbars.

3. In a wire-stretcher, the combination of parallel ratchet-bars havingteeth along their outer edges and secured together near each end with aspace between the bars, a guidebar movable longitudinally in the spacebetween the ratchet-bars, plates secured to the forward end of saidguide-bar to form a guidehead thereon, a laterally-extending ear on oneof said plates, 'a cam-shaped clamping member pivotally attached to saidcar, an operating-handle having a transverse portion pivotally securedto said head at the side opposite that to which the clamp is secured,gravitypawls pivotally attached to the ends of the transverse portion ofthe handle, a detachable weight attached to the pawl at the lower sideof the ratchet-bars, handles on the rear ends of the ratchet-barsextending laterally therefrom, bars secured to the forward ends of theratchet-bars and bent laterally at their rear ends to form hooks and attheir forward ends to form a guide, a roll pivotally secured between theforward ends of said bars, a yoke pivotally attached to said ends andprovided with a flange, and a cam-shaped clamping member pivoted to saidyoke opposite said flange.

4. In a wire-stretcher, the combination of parallel ratchet-bars securedtogether at a distance apart and provided with teeth along their outeredges, a guide-bar movable longitudinally between said ratchet-bars, aguidehead on the forward end of said guide-bar, means on one side ofsaid head for clamping a wire thereto, an operating-handle pivotallyattached to the opposite side of said head and provided with atransverse portion, pawls pivotally attached to the ends of the transverse portion to engage the teeth on the ratchet-bars, bars formed withbooks attached to one end of said ratchet-bars to engage a post andclamping means pivotally attached to the forward ends of said hookbars.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN E. BAEOIILER.

IVitnesses:

O'rro F. BAn'rHnL, THos. S. LONGSTAFF.

